So an applicant is sitting across from you or on Zoom and you just read this Inc article about 85% of job applicants lying on resumes. In the article there are three ways to spot a liar. The trouble with that is the time it takes to do that diligence. Determining which applicants are lying takes a lot of time as well as a good interviewer. Added to that is the reliance on ATS systems to screen for specifications for a job looking for keywords. Applicants are getting wise to it and customizing resumes to get past the filters in hopes of an interview. I read another article where it is estimated millions of qualified applicants are rejected because of requirements that are too restrictive. Job descriptions are often written with requirements that are more restrictive than needed. Is 5 years of experience really necessary or just desired? Is a college degree required or could focused experience serve the same purpose? An ATS system is too literal. There is no room for interpretation. You either meet the requirements or you do not.

Are managers a bit lazy, or way too busy? Take your pick, but it results in pulling outdated job descriptions off the shelf. Those descriptions do not accurately determine what is needed to do the job. The adage ‘hire slow – fire quickly’ holds true. You need to take the time to accurately describe what skills, experience, and education are really necessary. And the list goes on.

On the personality side take the time to think through what behavioral style elements are needed to deliver the results expected in that specific job. There are tools to help you do that effectively. We supply such tools and have used them for over 25 years. They are extremely helpful if you are trained and know how to interpret the results. If you don’t know what you are really looking for, how do you know if you will find it?

Our selection tool requires a behavioral benchmark. That typically is not available, and we meet resistance to do the work to create it, so we clone their best employees in that job. By clone I mean we use our assessments to create a profile of shared behavioral traits. That works surprisingly well.

If the resume is potentially professionally written and contains misinformation, why even read it? So how about loosening the requirements to what is the absolute minimum necessary for the position? In today’s relentless quest to find talent are we relying too much on computer algorithms, well-written resumes, and not considering pure capability? Are savvy applicants figuring out what keywords ATS systems are looking for and seeding their resumes with those words hoping to get an interview? Once you get pulled into a resume it sets up a bias.

I recently had a conversation with a former HR Executive, now a coach. She said that reading a resume was a waste of time and potentially counterproductive because it sets up biases. And biases are partly responsible for lack of diversity. Why is diversity such an issue in companies? We all have biases and if that is the first thing we are presented with, our judgment is affected. Granted, overall, we hire more acceptable individuals than not but if the bad hires are only 15% of the total hired that equates to a pile of money that should be going to the bottom line.

Legacy hiring processes still rely mostly on the interview. Often that is not just one interview it is multiple. That takes a lot of time with a sizable investment. I interviewed a manger that told me his process was having five managers interview applicants. Each one had veto power. He thought it was a great process as he hired good people. No doubt but how many potentially great people did he miss?

I’m not against interviewing but I think it should be the last, not the first step. It should rely on data and not intuition. It should be done by the most competent interviewers. To illustrate, in our product testing for our newest tool we engaged an employer that was having a hard time finding and retaining field engineers. Using assessment data from existing high performing employees we developed a profile to match applicants against. I remember one applicant that fit the profile very closely. I highly recommended this person be prioritized for interview. He was interviewed and was hired. Much to the glee of the employer this individual quickly became a star and has been with them for over three years. That individual had applied for the same position on two previous occasions using the companies old hiring format and was rejected.

We streamlined the selection process so that only the best potential was selected for a final interview saving time and money. I’ve seen examples where an individual was hired without an interview. The decision being made because the data revealed by our assessment process matched what was desired for the position. The result proved to be justified based on performance and longevity.

Relying on an interview process based on a resume alone is fraught with risk due to the potential of inaccuracy. Use the best interviewers. Uncover the lies, Structure the questions around what outcomes are desired. Dig deep. That’s a lot of work, but we know that structured interviews increase success slightly above 50%. Unstructured interviews? Might as well use a dart board.

A better option is to use validated, accurate data matched to total job requirements. It is faster, has a lower cost, and offers better results.

HireSense, with lack of bias, prioritizes those applicants having the best potential to fit the job requirements. Reading resumes and setting up the interview strategy to determine the honesty of 100 applicants takes a lot of time. The HireSense process whittles down to the top three to five best choices and suggests the most pertinent interview questions.

If you would like to see this tool in action using your data contact Michael@Hiresense.com and we’ll send you a link to take the assessments. It takes about 30-45 minutes to complete and the debrief of your report with Michael will blow you away!

85 Percent of Job Applicants Lie on Resumes Read More »

Are you tired of sifting through countless resumes and conducting multiple interviews, only to end up with a high-risk hire? In today’s competitive job market, finding the right candidate is more challenging than ever. That’s where HireSense comes
in.

At HireSense, we understand the importance of selecting candidates with the necessary qualifications and the right fit for your organization. Our innovative approach streamlines the hiring process, saving you time, money, and potential headaches.

Here’s what sets HireSense apart:

Speed and Efficiency:

We accelerate hiring by comparing qualified applicants to predetermined behavioral benchmarks and personality targets. This means you can focus your attention on the most promising candidates, ensuring a quicker path to success.

Cost Savings:

Traditional interviewing methods can be costly, especially when interviewing a large pool of qualified applicants. HireSense identifies the applicants best suited to the job, allowing you to prioritize your resources on those with the highest chance of success. Say goodbye to unnecessary interviews and hello to cost-effective hiring.

Bias Reduction:

We all have biases, but minimizing their impact is crucial in fair and effective hiring. HireSense eliminates bias by evaluating applicant data first, before any interviews take place. By removing the initial subjective assessment, you can make more objective decisions based on the insights provided by HireSense.

Insightful Evaluation:

HireSense provides a concise evaluation of each applicant, combining graphical data with descriptive summaries of their behavioral style, motivation, and judgment. This comprehensive picture helps you understand their strengths and limitations, enabling you to make well-informed hiring decisions.

Targeted Interviews:

Our platform guides you with relevant interview questions tailored to each candidate, based on the data collected by HireSense. This targeted approach ensures that you extract the most valuable information during interviews, saving time and maximizing efficiency.

Results Interpretation:

With HireSense, you have access to training resources that help you develop position benchmarks, interpret comparison alerts, and fully understand the data. Additionally, you can choose to work with a professionally trained practitioner who can guide you through the process, ensuring optimal results.

In summary, HireSense offers a faster selection process, cost savings, and improved hiring outcomes. By identifying high-risk
candidates early on, you can safeguard your company from potential disruptions caused by a bad hire.

Don’t let the challenges of hiring high-value employees hold you back. Choose HireSense and experience a smarter, more efficient way to find the perfect fit for your organization. Get in touch with us today and let us transform your hiring process for the better.

Introducing HireSense: Your Solution for Successful Hiring Read More »

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I read an article this week that said millennials have higher emotional intelligence than others, that is, they have the ability to read others better than most (HRmagazine.co.uk). I was a little shocked by this article and was researching to support their findings and was unable to find any, or even how they were defining emotional intelligence. Some were skeptical of this and actually felt the opposite was true, that millennials do not have as much emotional intelligence as others. That they are not as open or empathetic as other generations. Yet, there is some truth to the fact that they have been brought up in more a team-oriented environment throughout their education and, as a result, they may know how to function in a team better. However, working in teams does not equate to improved emotional intelligence.

I spent some time searching for research on the topic through the local university and would have to say that there is not much in the research area to really support or disprove millennials having greater emotional intelligence. I did, however, have the privilege to talk with Dr. Jack Chisum and Glenn Brown at their motivation interviewing lab. It is an amazing lab that has the ability to not only read the emotions of the face, but also in the voice and the physiological responses by the people in their lab. (https://asunow.asu.edu/20160719-solutions-emotion-reading-software-better-health-care)

They are working on providing better health care by helping patients identify their emotional responses to what doctors say and also to identify their own thoughts about their health. They can follow a discussion between a patient and a doctor and pinpoint the moment a patient’s emotions jumped and which emotion was most strongly felt. In this work, Dr. Chisum noted that an unanticipated finding in his research was that people under the age of 25 have a difficult time dealing with the emotional expressions made by people older than themselves. That is to say, when someone older than them expresses strong emotion, they didn’t know how to deal with it and it caused a strong counter emotional response in them.

While he said further research would be needed to explore the reasons for this, it was important to note that this emotional response does occur, and if people are working with the younger generation, they may want to be aware of how much emotion they are expressing good or bad. An emotional hijack will lead to a reduction in performance because the logic center becomes disengaged.

So what does this mean to you? Be aware of your own state before talking to someone under the age of 25. Be aware of the state of others as well, but more importantly be aware of the affect your state has on others, especially those under 25. The more you can do to put the person at ease when you meet with them, be it feedback about work done, or an annual review, or a potential conflict that has been occurring, the more likely you will be to engage and reach a productive outcome. In the case of the doctors, Dr. Chisum said it is good to lead with a positive or neutral conversation, like ‘How was the weather on the way to work’, or ‘so great to see you today’, ‘I can tell you take pride in …’.

Dr. Chisum also suggested you lead with their ideal image of what they hope to have happen. Where would they like to be or what would they like to see if the conflict was resolved? What would that look like to them? This line of discussion can then lead to a response such as, ‘That is great, so what do you think the next steps are for you to make that happen’? ‘If you made progress, what would short-term success look like that you would feel good about’?

So what do you do if you don’t have the great technology in the lab? There are other ways to get to know millennials such as using a DISC-based assessment to understand potential emotional triggers which are amplified by their age. This will help you understand how to adjust your communication and reduce emotional triggers before they happen.

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Millennials and Emotion Read More »

Employee engagement is one of the most important parts of your business.

As an established business you have developed the majority of your products and services. While there are changes, the overall strategy, mission, vision and values have been established and implemented. Now you’re handling internal and external customers, employees and managers.

Employees who are not engaged tell bad stories about your company

Appealing, like Steve did in his article, to the bottom line orientation may appeal to some companies in some situations. The reality is that companies seeking long term success and growth perform differently as proven in Good to Great and Firms of Endearment. Take a look at the relationship between employee turnover and stock prices. In almost all cases the companies with lower turnover have higher stock prices AND they receive better customer ratings.

Even bottom line thinkers understand the cost of hiring and training new employees – or they should. It costs $3500 to hire and train an employee who makes $8 per hour. Over time these costs add up and can be avoided by creating a workplace culture than engages and retains employees.

Over time companies will experience three types of thinking and organizational culture – traditional, practical and intrinsic. Each experience helps a business learn and grow.

Traditional is the old system approach fathered by Fredrick Taylor. Everyone is seen as a cog in a wheel and people are replaceable parts. This philosophy is dated in some respects while in another it creates great efficiencies within organizations. The problem is when this is the only focus of a business. People will leave because they want to be valued.

The practical view is to look at people and their skills and experience in terms of how they can contribute to the success of the organization. There is a focus on results and processes and an attempt to have the right people in the right place for the highest productivity. This, like the traditional approach, still leaves out the passion for why people do what they do.

The intrinsic view is to not only have the right people in the right places within the organization. This approach recognizes that people will do what they do for their own reasons. Communicating the mission, vision and values of the organization creates passion. The passion is translated into increased productivity and high level customer care. The employee is no longer just a cog in a wheel; they understand how their role impacts the larger organization. That is powerful to the bottom line![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Why Employee Engagement IS Important, Steve Tobak! Read More »